Thrifty Card Users Save 20% on Public Transit Costs... 93% Say "It's Effective"

Seongnam 50s Mr. A Saved 390,000 Won Last Year
User Count Surpasses 160,000... Satisfaction Rises

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] Users of the 'Metropolitan Discount Transportation Card (hereafter Discount Card),' introduced for the first time last year, saved an average of 12,862 KRW per month, reducing their annual public transportation expenses by 20.2%.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Committee and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority analyzed the usage performance of the Discount Card program last year and announced the results on the 1st.

Discount Card users used public transportation an average of 37.9 times per month last year and spent 63,691 KRW on fares. Through the Discount Card, they received benefits worth 12,862 KRW (8,420 KRW mileage accumulation, 4,442 KRW card discount), resulting in a 20.2% reduction in annual transportation expenses.

This represents an increase in transportation cost savings compared to 2019, when users saved 16.9% of their public transportation costs by receiving benefits of 12,246 KRW per month (7,840 KRW mileage accumulation, 4,406 KRW card discount).

The user who maximized transportation cost savings was Mr. A (50), an office worker residing in Seongnam City, who mainly commuted between Seongnam and Goyang cities, saving 393,829 KRW annually.

In particular, youths with a median income below 50%, who receive additional mileage, saved an average of 14,721 KRW per month (10,751 KRW mileage, 3,970 KRW card discount), reducing their public transportation expenses by 26.2%.

The average distance Discount Card users traveled by walking or cycling to access public transportation was 1,107 meters. They traveled 518 meters from their starting point to the public transportation boarding point and 589 meters from the alighting point to their destination.

A satisfaction survey conducted among 40,156 Discount Card users showed a high response rate, with 54.2% very satisfied and 35.0% somewhat satisfied.

Additionally, 93.3% of survey respondents said the Discount Card was effective in reducing transportation costs, and 58% answered that it was 'very effective.'

The age groups of Discount Card users were still predominantly young, with 20s (52.2%) and 30s (25.5%) making up 77.7%, but the proportions of users in their 40s (10.6%) and 50s (7.0%) also increased compared to previous years.

By gender, women accounted for 73.3% of participants, higher than men at 26.2%, and by occupation, office workers (68.3%) and students (15.7%) were the main users.

By region, users in Busan had the highest usage frequency (39.4 times per month), while residents of Gyeonggi and Incheon accumulated the highest average monthly mileage of 9,034 KRW and 8,548 KRW respectively, making them the most economical users.

The Discount Card awards mileage proportional to the distance traveled by walking or cycling when using public transportation (20%), and card companies provide additional discounts (10%), allowing up to a 30% reduction in public transportation costs.

The number of Discount Card users increased significantly from 20,000 in January last year to 160,000 in December of the same year.

Jang Gujung, Director of the Metropolitan Transportation Fare Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Committee, said, "We plan to continuously improve convenience so that more public transportation users can empathize with the Discount Card’s business purpose of environmental protection, health promotion, and transportation cost reduction effects."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.